Hidden Leak

Hidden Leak

When a pipe breaks, you know it. Water spewing everywhere, making all kinds of noise and a huge mess that leads to all kinds of expensive damage.

When a pipe leaks, that’s a different story as you may not discover it until expensive damage occurs.

Under every sink in your home, you have two types of pipes: Supply and drain. Either type can have a hidden leak and cause all kinds of damage, often at a slow but steady rate, and not only to the floor directly under the pipes. Water can run down into the subfloor, into floor cavities and even into rooms underneath.

Adding insult to injury, you don’t know this is happening because, usually, it’s all out of sight.

The worst part of looking for a hidden leak under sinks is there is usually a bunch of stuff down there, and you will have to move it around or — better yet — remove it all completely so you can do a thorough inspection.

Look for warped wood, boards or other signs of water damage. Use a tissue to wipe each pipe connection, both supply and drain. Any type of moisture will be detectable using tissue paper. If a supply pipe is leaking, that’s dangerous because there is pressure that can cause it to steadily increase the rate of the leak. For the drain pipe, gently shake it to see if it is loose. Drain pipes can loosen on their own and begin leaking.

If you have pipes that are leaking, don’t delay. Fix them yourself if you are handy. If not, call your favorite plumber.

Any type of water damage you discover should be inspected and remediated by a qualified water damage restoration company like Accent American. Play it safe and when you find you have a leaky pipe, call your water damage pros. They’ll be right over.